Here are some basic ground rules for getting a good psychic reading in Boston.

1) Don’t drink or get high before your reading. It’s hard to do this if you’re in a group setting but alcohol and pot distort your energy and muddies the information. Wait until after your reading for a cocktail. If you’re at a party, wait until after you’ve had your reading before your imbibe.

2) It’s okay to be a skeptic but if you act like you know everything about how it works, you can ruin your reading.(Even psychics don’t know how it works) Playing “stump the psychic” usually just wastes time during your session. Hopefully, you’ve already researched your psychic and know that they’re honest. Don’t tell the psychic too much. Believe it or not, a lot of psychics are skeptics too, even though they do this for a living.

3) Do not allow yourself to become dependent on a psychic. You have to make your decisions. Only you can live your life. Limit how often you go in for a reading unless you’re in crisis or have a practical need for them such as using intuition for business.

4) You are always 100% responsible for whatever decisions you make after your reading. If you’re using information from your reading to make a decision, you need to use the psychic information from your reading as another point of reference.

5) You have free will. The future is dynamic. I always tell people the future is a moving target. The decisions you make every day are either subtly or dramatically changing your future. Some things are fated and some things you have no control over. There are a lot of things you do have control over so focus on where you have power over your future.

The psychic industry has come a long way since the old stereotypical fortune-telling days. Today, seers have access to thousands of serious metaphysical books, and professional psychic schools where they can earn advanced degrees in mediumship and intuition. Psychics today have a wide range of backgrounds and training.. Here are five things to know and ways to find the right psychic in Boston for you.

1) Know a little bit about the different specialties. There are two main categories. Psychic mediums talk to dead. Psychic intuitives provide insights into situations you’re facing or decisions you need to make. Most psychic mediums can do both psychic readings (spiritual counseling) and mediumship. All mediums are psychics, but not all psychics are mediums.

2) If you’re going to a medium, you’re primarily going to hear from the Other Side. Mediumship readings are especially helpful if you are grieving and connecting with your loved one in spirit might help bring you closure and peace. There is no guarantee, however, which spirits will show up. Mediumship sessions are meant to be healing.

3) Know why you want to get a reading today. Is this your first time and you’re just curious? You should be able to have a great experience with either type of psychic but if you go to a psychic intuitive that doesn’t talk to the dead, you’ll be disappointed if that’s what you’re expecting. If you’re only going for entertainment purposes unless it’s a party venue, or demonstration, you’re taking a chance. Psychic mediums and psychic intuitives take their work very seriously especially in one on one sessions and small group settings.

4) In mediumship readings, you can’t interact with the spirit and ask questions. In psychic intuitive sessions, most of the time, you do get to ask questions. Information from a mediumship reading comes from a spirit. Information in a psychic intuitive reading comes from the energy field of the person being read and the earth plane. Most readers will not combine the two different types of readings in one session because they require different skills.

5) Most of the time you’ll pay a higher price for a session with an experienced and well-trained psychic. It may sound logical that you have to pay more, but you’d be surprised how many people think that psychic ability is a magical power that doesn’t require experience and training. It takes time for a psychic to understand how their gifts work. The more training a psychic has had, and the more time they’ve invested in giving readings, the better they are.

If you’ve picked out a psychic or received a referral and still aren’t sure if you have the right psychic for you – read through the testimonials on his or her website. The testimonials can help you clarify the type of reading you can expect to get with that psychic. You can also call and ask them further questions after you’ve read through what is available about them on their website.

1) We have some of the best psychic training in the world within easy driving distance of Boston. Therefore, you can get a great reading with local psychics. If you want to get into this profession, you would do well to live in the metro Boston area.

2) We also have charlatans and scammers. Fortunately, they are in the minority and the police know who they are. Anytime a psychic says you have a curse, black cloud, or bad juju around you, and they can remove it for a price – run! Most people don’t want to admit if they were scammed by a psychic, though, you’ll do everyone a service if you report them. A couple of these shops popped up in the North End but didn’t last very long.

3) Many excellent mediums live in the Boston area too. Some of the faculty at Arthur Findlay College, a Spiritualist college in England that specializes in mediumship training, teach and give readings in Boston. Many local Spiritualist churches also provide great mediumship training. Again, the metro Boston area is a great place to live if you want to get into this profession.

4) Boston is a tough city for psychics to give readings because Bostonians are savvy consumers due to the accessiblility of talented psychics, great metaphysical shops, and psychic events.

5) If you want to have a good reading, before you say, “no” “no” “no,” keep an open mind, listen to what’s said and what it could mean. Then again, don’t make it fit, if it doesn’t fit. Psychics have a range of personalities and styles from wildly flamboyant to ultra conservative. You might be reacting to the psychic’s style rather than what they’re saying. If you’re not connecting after 10 minutes you need to stop the reading.

6) I’ve learned when I can’t connect, to check in and ask the client if it’s possible that they want a reading and don’t want a reading at the same time. It sounds like an odd question but it happens. It could be that person is not ready to hear the answer. It could be they’re afraid to hear the answer. It could be they’re going to reject the answer unless it’s what they think or want the answer should be.

7) I like neon signs with psychic symbols, like a hand, because I like kitsch. However, it’s dicey to go to a shop with a neon sign in the window. Look for other indications that the store is legitimate and professional before you get a reading and by all means go in if you get a good gut feeling. i know a great shop that is very kitschy and the psychics are well trained and good at what they do. So, there are exceptions.

8) In general, parking is at a premium in Boston, so if your appointment is in the city, give yourself plenty of time to park if you’re driving. You should find out the lay of the land ahed of time so you’re not late and have 10 minutes to spare to relax and so you can start your reading feeling calm and ready.

9) Many local psychics know and like each other and have cross-trained with each other at different psychic shops. There are a lot of professional people from other industries who moonlight as psychics in their spare time. Everyone is psychic, so if they’re interested, anyone can get the training to give a psychic reading. A psychic needs a lot of practice reading people to understand their unique intuitive language and symbols. To apply for a job as a psychic you usually have to read for the owner of the establishment to see if you pass the muster.

10) There are different psychic specialties and not every psychic offer every specialty. Know what you’re looking for when you choose a psychic. This especially applies to spirit communication. Not every psychic talks to the dead.

Most people think that that there is no clear distinction between the words psychic and intuition.The dictionary definition of psychic means, “relating to or denoting faculties or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, especially involving telepathy or clairvoyance.” The definition of intuition is simpler, “a thing that one knows or considers likely from instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning.”

You can see from the definitions above that the word psychic is described more scientifically than intuition is using terms like “phenomena, ” “natural laws” and “telepathy.” A psychic also provides information that sounds like facts, such as “You are a student” or “You live in the city in a high-rise building.” An intuitive will talk about feeling guided, or having a hunch, or a gut feeling and use sensory phrases when they describe their intuitions such as, “I have a good feeling about the house you’re buying” or, “that job offer doesn’t sound right to me.” There is so much overlap between the words psychic and intution many people use the words interchangeably.

Over the years, several branches of the psychic industry have tried to change the image of psychics to serious minded seekers, scientists, and counselors. Schools, training programs, and degrees are now available in a broad range of categories within the psychic field like remote viewing and medical intuition. You can get a masters degree in medical intuition, which like remote viewing are considered more scientific areas within the field.

When you seek out a psychic make sure that you know why you’re getting a reading and if your psychic provides that service. Not every psychic provides spirit communication readings. Not every medium is good at intuitive readings. It’s not complicated, but you want to go to the right psychic for serious inquiry and not the one whose readings are for entertainment only. You can stumble upon a great psychic in some of the humblest of bookstores or shops. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to get a good reading. However, if you’re entrusting a psychic with an important question, get a referral from a trusted friend or a respected bookstore. If you’re researching a psychic on line, read through their testimonials to see if it’s a good fit and what people have to say about their readings.

The day has arrived. You’re going in for a psychic reading. You’ve never been to a psychic before, and you’re hoping you’ll get a great reading like your friend Alice did. You want to be in control of the session so you establish a secret code word or symbol in advance that the psychic must say for you to believe he or she is legitimate.

Unfortunately, that requirement may reduce your chances of getting a good reading. Here are two reasons why. By demanding that the psychic give you one specific code word or symbol, to convince you that he or she is trustworthy, you may miss out on a great reading. He or she may be able to give you 30 -40 other pieces of information equally valuable to you as your code words but you won’t hear any of it until you hear the secret code.

The second reason is that by setting up code words and symbols you come to your reading as if you know how this all works. Nobody knows for sure how this all works. Remember you’re not dealing with logic. In fact, trying to be logical makes it less likely that a psychic will be able to read for you. When you create a barrier for the psychic information doesn’t flow freely to them. Surprisingly, it doesn’t create a barrier if you say nothing during the session except yes or no. In mediumship readings, mediums prefer you don’t tell them anything. He or she wants to tell you what they’re receiving from a spirit.

For your 30 – 60 minute session, let go of trying to direct the psychic reading. Let it be what it’s going to be. Suspend your disbelief that a psychic could know these things. When you hear something that seems farfetched or contrary to what you think or believe, try not to be dismissive. Certain information may be in the future. Also, wait and check with friends and family who might know things that you don’t know. If you really feel like you’re not connecting, speak up! You need to say something within the first ten minutes. If you say something, you may be able to get into sync. Make sure you know what the psychic’s refund policy is as it can vary.